David Becker - Celebrating 50 Years of Teaching

Alumni Weekend

Alumni Connect

Alumni Online

Volunteer Opportunities

2012 was a special year in our history. Professor David M. Becker celebrated 50 years of teaching, friendship and mentorship. Honoring David would not be complete if it were not tied to some form of opportunity to create our own legacy through volunteerism. In the same spirit of encouraging alumni to support a financial commitment for scholarships, which is near and dear to David, equally important is a commitment to “leave our legacy” through our relationships with current students.

As you look through the list of volunteer opportunities, please know that you honor David each and every time you share your time to connect with a student. He lived his life connecting with students (many of us in fact) and now it’s our turn to give back and lend a hand to the next generation.”

Many current students indicate that conversations with recent alumni about their own law school experiences and career paths have helped them become confident in the decision to attend Washington University. With this in mind, we invite you to share your expertise with prospective students. Our goal is to have an extensive database so we may accommodate any prospective and/or admitted candidate who wishes to speak to an alumnus from their region of the country. Alumni volunteers can assist us in meeting this goal in a number of ways:

Career Networking and Advising

Alumni Employment Network InitiativeAdd your knowledge and expertise to the Alumni Employment Networking Initiative - the best source for alumni contact, advice and support. Offer your valuable insights and guidance to students and alumni as they explore career options and other career-related questions.

Alumni Coach Volunteer (Mock Interviews)The Alumni Coaching Program pairs Washington University Law students with alumni coaches for mock interviews. We make an effort to match students with alumni coaches based primarily on each student's geographic preference, and then according to employer type/size and practice area where available. There is no guarantee that you will be paired with a student who shares your professional interests, but we do our best.

Mock interviews take place in the summer to prepare students for fall recruiting and in January/February for 1st year students. Other interviews occur in an ad hoc fashion. We estimate that each mock interview you volunteer to conduct will take approximately 30 minutes of your time (15 minute interview; 15 minute feedback). Mock interviews should be conducted in person to provide students with the most constructive feedback. Interested? Fill out the online form.

If you would like more information about the Alumni Coaching program, please contact Rebecca Brown at rbrown@wulaw.wustl.edu.

Career-Related Panelist or Program SpeakerShare your career knowledge and expertise with students. The Career Services Office organizes a number of career-related panels during the school year for students. All students are invited and encouraged to attend. Most panels center on various practice areas, though there are a number that encompass a broader topic area, such as interviewing skills or professional development topics. Panelists selected represent as wide a spectrum as possible: employer type; employer size; private vs. public employers; geographic location; specialties within a given practice area; career changers; and different levels of experience. These one-hour panels typically take place during the lunch hour in one of the law school classrooms. To express your interest in serving as a panelist or speaker, please complete the online form.

If you would like more information about the panel and program opportunities, please contact Rebecca Brown at rbrown@wulaw.wustl.edu.

Help with Admissions

Alumni Admissions DirectoryThis is a directory of alumni who admitted students may contact regarding questions about the law school. The Directory will include your name, geographic location (city and state), JD graduation date, undergraduate institution, and e-mail address. Although we do not anticipate alumni will be overwhelmed with e-mails from our candidates, the printed directory serves as an example of our extensive network of alumni volunteers. Please fill out the online form if you are willing to be included in this directory.

Alumni Panels presentationsAlumni share their perspectives on law school and legal careers with prospective and admitted law school students at events hosted at the law school. Please fill out the online form if we may contact you to be on a panel.

Alumni ReceptionsOccasionally the Admissions Office hosts receptions for admitted students in their hometowns or at the law school. It is great to have alumni join us to meet and talk with admitted students. Please fill out the online form if you would be willing to attend these receptions.

Alumni-Hosted Student DinnersEach year, we try to make our 1L students feel welcome to the Law School, St. Louis and our alumni community. As part of orientation week, our alumni in St. Louis host casual dinners for students at a restaurant or in their homes. All dinners are held on two (2) nights set aside for this purpose during Orientation Week activities. Typically the dates will fall on the second or third week of August. If you would enjoy hosting up to 5 students for dinner, please complete the online form. Please know that many alumni pair up to co-host. One alumnus pairs up with 6 alumni and offers a backyard barbecue for 20 students! Interested? Fill out the online form.

Student Competition Judging

ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution)The innovative Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Program prepares graduates as advocates, counselors, problem solvers, negotiators, mediators, arbitrators, and policymakers. ADR offers a range of courses and lawyering skills competitions for law students, as well as seminars, speakers, and training programs for students, lawyers, and members of the community. The program also sponsors mediation trainings, lectures and, CLE programs. If you are interested in facilitating one of these program events, get involved! Sign up here.

Client Counseling1L students and upperclassmen are encouraged to refine their lawyering skills by participating in Client Counseling Competitions. These competitions help students enhance their dispute resolution, interviewing, and counseling skills, in addition to providing excellent training in valuable lawyering skills and professional values. Client Counseling Competitions are administered by the ADR Program and its volunteer leaders. Interested? Fill out the online form.

Moot Court Competition JudgeMoot Court programs are an important part of legal training at Washington University Law. They prepare students for and allow them to participate in appellate arguments. In the first-year Moot Court Program, students present a professional-level written brief and argue the case against fellow students before an appellate court composed of alumni and faculty. In the second year, students may participate in the annual Moot Court competition, a program in appellate advocacy that is administered by third-year students with faculty supervision. In it students argue up to eight rounds before panels of judges and attorneys. The final argument is conducted before the student body, faculty, and a panel of distinguished federal judges. Preliminary round dates will be posted late fall. Interested? Fill out the online form.

Trial TeamsEach year, 2L and 3L students can try out for a spot on the award-winning Trial Team. As team members, they learn a variety of trial skills—analyzing case files, conducting examinations, and using demonstrative evidence, to name a few. Then, these skills are applied, practiced, and honed in prestigious, full trial competitions. You can support this champion group of students by volunteering your time and expertise as a coach or advisor. Sign up here to get involved.

Miscellaneous Alumni Volunteering Opportunities

Annual Fund Volunteers - Eliot Society CommitteeMembers of our Law Eliot Society Committee ensure our philanthropic funds for the future by actively reminding their classmates to consider joining the Eliot Society. On average, gifts from Eliot Society members represent 64% of the total Annual Fund dollars in any given year. With almost 400 Eliot Society members, alumni across the country renew their own gifts and reach out to one more to grow the Annual Fund. To join the Law Eliot Society Committee, please complete the online form.

Class AgentsClass agents, who are elected at graduation each year, remain liaisons between the class members and the Law School. For more information or to become an agent for your class, please fill out the online form.

Firm & Corporate RepresentativesThe Firm and Corporate Representative Program is a growing volunteer program that involves more than 40 alumni. The function of each representative is to solicit alumni at his/her firm or business with the express purpose of raising overall alumni participation. Representatives also host the dean's visits at their firms and serve as contacts for alumni to learn about other Washington University Law volunteer opportunities. To get involved, please fill out the online form.

Public Service Program PartnershipWashington University Law has a long history of graduating alumni who devote their lives to public service. Recognizing that giving back is a basic responsibility of the legal profession, the Law School recently launched a formal public service program, designed to build an ethic of service and giving among all students, regardless of their career path. The strategy broadens the concept of public service beyond pro bono and public interest lawyering to include such things as volunteer service in the community, philanthropy, policy development, nonprofit management and board membership.

Students are now strongly encouraged to perform public service before graduation. Elizabeth Walsh (at ewalsh@wulaw.wustl.edu) coordinates student public service opportunities, places students and keeps track of their efforts. This year we have had students making a difference in a myriad of ways, including tutoring children, working in soup kitchens, assisting people with tax refund forms, cleaning the parks and volunteering at a variety of legal service agencies.

If you are a member of a non-profit organization, legal or non-legal, or otherwise interested in partnering with law students to provide public service, please fill out the online form.

Reunion Committee VolunteerReunion Weekend is a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and a chance to revisit the Law School. Become more involved with the weekend by joining the Reunion Committee. As a Committee Member you will participate in conference calls, serving a primary function of encouraging your classmates to attend Reunion Weekend. If you are interested in serving on your Reunion Committee please fill out the online form.

Volunteer CorpsIf you have many volunteer interests, and you don’t mind serving as a general “go to” person, then this is the opportunity for you! Members of the Volunteer Corps can volunteer their time and efforts to satisfy a lot of miscellaneous volunteering needs, whether it’s hosting an event for Law School alumni in your geographic area, talking to a prospective faculty candidate, or meeting with a 3L to offer your career advice. Get involved with Washington University Law—sign up now!

Women's Law CaucusThe Women’s Law Caucus (WLC) is consistently one of the largest, most active student-run organizations in the Law School. It serves to inspire all students, both men and women, to break gender-based barriers in the law community and value each other’s diverse backgrounds and experiences. While emphasizing the development and achievements of women in the field of law, the WLC strives to foster relationships between students, faculty, and the community at large. Through public service and outreach to the community, academia, and women in law, members build the foundation for their futures in law. They gain valuable skills that will help them succeed in any area. If you are interested in joining and supporting this initiative, fill out the online form.